Frequently asked questions about the Internet Recreational Effort and Catch (iREC) reporting program

Yes. Completing the iREC report is a mandatory Condition of Licence under "Provision of Information" on your Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence.

1. On your licence: the details of your iREC reporting requirements are found on the first page of your B.C. Tidal Waters Fishing Licence.
2.  By email: you will receive reminder emails close to your iREC reporting period.

You will receive a first reminder email near the beginning of your reporting period. If your report has not been completed, you will receive a reminder email three days after your reporting period ends and a second one 10 days later. Once your report is submitted, you will receive an email to thank you for your participation.

The most common reason that you may not have received an email about your iREC reporting requirements is that your email address on your DFO tidal waters sport fishing licensing account may be missing or incorrect. Please visit National Recreational Licensing System to add or update your email address. It is also possible that the reminder emails may be in your spam or junk folder.

Yes. The emails are not spam as defined by Canada’s anti-spam legislation. Specifically, they have no commercial purpose, and their intent is to provide notice of a legal obligation as stated in Section 3(c) (ii) of the Electronic Commerce Protection Regulations. More information about Canada's anti-spam legislation.

Please forward the email to them and ensure they are aware of iREC reporting requirements.

No action is required on your part, as we are unable to accept reports after the deadline. Next time you purchase a Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence, please complete your iREC report online before the reporting deadline to be compliant with your “Provision of Information” licence condition. You will find all the details required to complete your report including your Access ID, reporting period, deadline, and the reporting website on the first page of your licence and in the reminder emails sent to the email address you provided at the time of license purchase.

It depends on how much you fished during your reporting period. The iREC reporting program takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete for most respondents or somewhat longer for more active fishers. The report must be detailed in order to support estimation of effort and catch of many different species by month, area and fishing method.

Yes. Only report your fishing activity on the dates you have been assigned for. For example, if you had a 3-day licence active from June 29 through July 1, you would be assigned to only report for June 29 and June 30.

You must report on the month that was assigned to you. We will not accept reports for other periods.

Although fishing for certain species may be closed during the period for which you have been assigned, fishing is typically open for some species at all times. The reporting program asks for your effort and catch for a wide variety of species. For example, when fishing for coho salmon or halibut is closed, fishing for Dungeness crab or lingcod may be open.

There are 2 ways to access the reporting program:

1. Go to irecreport.ca and sign in using your Access ID provided on your licence.
2. Click the link provided in the reporting program emails we send you. If clicking doesn’t work, copy and paste the full link into your browser’s address bar. Make sure the entire link is included, without any breaks or missing characters.

You can complete your report using a smartphone, tablet, or any other device with Internet access; it doesn’t have to be a computer. If you don’t have access to a device, consider using a friend’s computer or a public access computer, such as one available at your local library. Please note that the reporting program cannot be submitted by mail.

No. The report must be completed online. If you require assistance in completing your report online, please contact us.

When you see the screen “Thank you, your iREC report has been successfully submitted” you can be sure that your report has been submitted.

You still need to complete your report by selecting the “Did not fish” option on your report. This option is available only after your reporting period ends. There are opportunities for fishers to fish different species all year long, and we estimate recreational fishing effort and catch year-round. Completing your report to let us know that you did not fish in a particular month is just as important as letting us know that you did.

You need to report regardless of whether you caught or released anything. Information about fishers who did not catch fish or shellfish is important for estimating fishing total catch and effort.

We need to estimate total effort and catch from all fishers, including juvenile fishers. This information helps to give an accurate picture of recreational fishing impacts by reporting effort and catch for juvenile fishers fishing with you.

For coho and Chinook salmon, “mark status” refers to the presence or absence of the adipose fin:

Fish that are referred to as “hatchery marked”, also called “adipose fin-clipped”, have a healed scar where the adipose fin was removed. While not all hatchery fish are marked in this way and some non-hatchery fish are, the term “hatchery marked” refers to any fish with this mark. Fish that are referred to “wild” still have their adipose fin intact.

Visit “Identify your catch”  for common species found in B.C. tidal waters. . Information about additional species can be found here. 

Information on fish released allows us to estimate total fishery mortality, which is critical to stock assessment. This informs fisheries management decisions and supports sustainable fishing.

Canada’s total allowable halibut catch limits are based on weight (pounds), which is calculated using both the number of halibut kept and the length of each halibut.

Chinook salmon management, on the other hand, requires estimates of numbers kept and released, not the weight. Therefore, we do not ask for their lengths in iREC reports.

However, you are still required to record the lengths of both halibut and Chinook salmon in your catch records (Printed Licence, National Recreational Licensing System, or BC Sport Fishing App). This is for regulatory compliance, not for catch estimation.

Yes. A downloadable two-page form is available to help you keep track of the required fishing information for your iREC report. This resource is intended as a reference tool to support your reporting process; however, please note that you must submit your report online before your deadline at https://irecreport.ca.

The iREC reporting program requires more complete and detailed fishing information than the National Recreational Licensing System, which is limited to recording kept catch of Chinook salmon, halibut and lingcod in some areas.

The Fishing BC app is a helpful tool that allows licence holders to log their fishing activity for personal record keeping. However, the app operates independently from the iREC reporting program. Fishing information entered in the Fishing BC app is not shared with DFO except catch records for Chinook salmon, lingcod, and halibut if the app is linked to your NRLS account.

Yes. Even if you have provided this catch information through another means, you are still required to complete your iREC report. The information you provide will not result in overestimation or “double‑counting” of catches.

The “dive-based or other” category covers less common fishing methods that don’t fit into the main options like angling, shellfish trapping, or beach digging. Examples include the use of spears, herring rakes, smelt gillnets, smelt dip nets, octopus pots, and other rare or unique methods. If your fishing method is not listed, please select “dive-based or other” when reporting your fishing activities and provide your method type in the comment box at the end of your report.